1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to ultrasound systems, and more particularly to an ultrasound system and a method for forming a BC-mode image.
2. Background Art
An ultrasound system has become an important and popular diagnostic tool due to its non-invasive and non-destructive nature. Modern high-performance ultrasound imaging diagnostic systems and techniques are commonly used to produce two- or three-dimensional images of internal features of patients.
The ultrasound system may provide a BC-mode image indicating a blood flow or a motion of a target object, which is estimated by using a Doppler effect, on a B-mode image. The BC-mode image is a combination image comprising a B-mode image of a grey scale and a color flow image (i.e., C-mode image) indicating the blood flow or the motion of the target object. The BC-mode image may provide anatomical information as well as information regarding the blood flow or the motion of the target object.
The conventional ultrasound image may form the B-mode image and the C-mode image with different frame rates and then combine the B-mode image with the C-mode image to thereby form the BC-mode image. Since the frame rate of the BC-mode may not be enough to obtain information regarding blood flow or the motion of the target object such as a cardiac muscle, the frame rate of the BC-mode must be improved such that motion information of the target object such as a cardiac muscle, which is rapidly moved, can be accurately provided.